Smoker

[Beecharmer]

I have a couple of questions about the smoker.  I am a little nervous  :( about getting it started.  I am new and have never used one.  I am told you have to start a fire with newspaper and then add fuel.  What does everyone use?  Corrugated, wood chips, pine needles?  I was reading a previous post on "smoking or not", but I think since I am a beginner, I will smoke for now.  I like the idea of spraying with sugar water.  Really liked the joke on smoking bees & keeping them in the paper.
:lol:
Lisa

[jathomas]

Everybody uses different smoker fuel.  I've been liking the burlap they sell at Home Depot.  A whole roll for ten bucks!  It starts easy, and a handful of it will last for a couple of hives.

Cardboard smells pretty nasty to me, but you might want to give it a shot. Just don't use anything that has colored printing on it, like glossy packaging or magazine covers.  You don't know what's in those inks.  Newspaper is okay, because these days the ink is soy-based.

[Robo]

Here is a whole discussion on favorite smoker fuels

http://beemaster.com/beebbs/viewtopic.php?t=212&highlight=smoker

[Beecharmer]

This is what I was told in another forum:
I don't use burlap for several reasons:
1) some burlap is now reinforced with non-natural fibers, polyester, plastic... these make a toxic smoke
2) some burlap, basically anything that brought a product in from a foreign country, will have been fumigated.  Burning would release some nasty stuff.

I have used clean corrugated cardboard, fuel pellets, cotton dish rages with a little mineral oil on them, but mostly now, I use wood shavings (hamster bedding).

Reading the old posts on this subject has given me great ideas.  This fall I will collect all the old sumac blooms I can find.  In the meantime, I will try several of the other member's methods.

[Horns Pure Honey]

I like to use pine needles from are back yard, bye

[Anonymous]

Lots of sumac around here with the dried seed heads still on them. Just clip a shopping bag full and store them in a card board box in a dry place.
:D Al

[indypartridge]

I'm a newbee and I got a lot of good ideas from the thread on favorite smoker fuels.  The big thing is to just go out and start playing with your smoker...try different stuff, see what works best for you.  I rolled up some hay in corregated cardboard & tied it with baling twine. Then I just put some crumbled newspaper in the bottom of the smoker, lit it and added the cardboard 'roll' I had made. Seemed to work well for me.

[Horns Pure Honey]

But you must make shure it is a cool smoke. You dont want something that is going to burn so hot that when you pump the smoker that a flame shoots out. One time when lighting with straw I had that problem but it soon burnt down, bye :D

[Lesli]

Once I get it started with dry stuff, I put in a handful of fresh herbs (or grass or whatever). The herbs make the smoke smell nice, but anything green is likely to smolder and cool the smoke.

[photokid]

I use twigs and grass I find in the area. Mix up greener stuff with dry stuff, that burns long and cool. Make sure you get it going good, before closing the smoker. Then wait for it to cool and smoke your bees.

[Horns Pure Honey]

I like to put some cardboard from soda boxes in there too, it smokes and last a long time. It is hard to get started so I put white compo paper in first and light it and add my other stuff. Once it lights up good and strong I close it and the smoke rolls out. bye :D

[lively Bee's]

I stay from the cardboard Due to the dye and the glue that is used.  But this is me   I use hay and burlap.  If im in the middle of working the hives and it starts going out I will use any thing I can find in the field.  

I always have the smoker lit But I dont always smoke the hive's

[Horns Pure Honey]

So fare it hasnt botherd the girls. I dont think the glue they use is toxic, it is bio degradeable, bye :)

[Wombat]

I like burlap.

But whatever lasts for awhile (and is non-toxic, in my preference) and doesn't get too hot or produce a lot of ash. I find that corrugated cardboard definitely puts out ash...

But, quick and dirty, cardboard might do the trick. I like to take my time when I'm out at the hives, inspect and just watch and relax, etc...

peace
wombat